Today’s Word Is OVERWHELMED

“When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” – King David (Psalm 61:2)

Oh my goodness, the King of Israel, the famous David, the victor in battle, the stable force of safety, the direct ancestor of our Lord Jesus … don’t tell me … does he actually get overwhelmed sometimes?! Oh, yes! And the Psalms are full of his every emotion … every high and every low.

But he has a solution … he wants something or someone to remind him where to turn. When he says, “Lead me to the Rock,” who is he talking to? What is he talking about? Well, David knows that in overwhelming circumstances, when he has momentarily failed to hear the direct voice of God and be aware of the divine presence, he needs help. So he is appealing to God to use some trigger, some attention-getter, to redirect his thoughts back to God the Rock.

I’ve felt overwhelmed quite a few times in my life. Somewhere in the midst of that, I too need some kind of trigger that turns my head and helps me to recall who I am and whose I am. This sudden intervention of truth, thought, or revelation can then lead me to “the Rock that is higher than I.”

So, what does God do to accomplish that? Sometimes he uses one of my friends, or even a stranger, as that trigger, sometimes it is something I see, or a Bible verse that pops into my head. The Spirit of God gives me this startle in which I remember that I don’t have to suffer from being overwhelmed. And it speaks into my spirit that there is a Rock that I can stand on.

Once I reach a calmer frame of mind, I can shake my head at myself, and ask … how was it that I forgot during this experience that God is close by … as close as my breath … within my being … that I do not have to be overwhelmed. He is my Rock. Nothing can shake me loose.

I try not to be unnecessarily critical of myself or wallow in guilt about letting myself get overwhelmed. My enemy wants me to respond by “beating myself up.” God tells me he understands my lapse, and that he can pick me up and we’ll keep going.

If your heart is overwhelmed, may something or someone lead you to the Rock that is higher. In the outdoor world, the higher you get, the better your perspective. Receive his assurance and let that overwhelming feeling subside.

Blessings!

Chaplain Mark